Bulletin d'Information Ufologique - Vol 2 No 1 - sept 1985

Magazine Overview

Title: BULLETIN D'INFORMATION UFOLOGIQUE
Issue: Volume 2, Number 1
Date: September 1985
Publisher: CCOI
Country: Canada
Language: French

This issue of the Bulletin d'Information Ufologique (BIUFO) presents a variety of articles focusing on UFO phenomena, research, and related topics. The cover prominently features an image of mysterious footprints and a call to read more on page five, located in Laval, Canada.

Editorial

The editorial, by Marc Leduc, notes that this issue is well-stocked with contributions from J. Ferguson, an account of an unusual and concerning event by M. Leduc himself, and research by J. Vézina. The editor expresses gratitude for reader support and encourages subscriptions as holiday gifts. He also touches upon the debate regarding the perceived decrease in UFO sightings, questioning a bookseller's conclusion that a decline in 'unusual' literature sales implies fewer UFO observations.

Rectification

A correction is made regarding a drawing published in a previous issue (BIUFO, Vol. 1, Num. 4), stating that it was inverted and the wider part should have been at the bottom. An apology is offered.

Reflexions Desabusees D'un Chercheur Non Abuse! (Disillusioned Reflections of an Unabused Researcher!)

By Jean Ferguson

Jean Ferguson shares his perspective after a five-year absence from ufological discussions. He maintains his interest and continues to analyze UFO cases, particularly rejecting the 'psychological' theory prevalent since 1976, which he finds speculative and unfounded. Ferguson believes most reported sightings are concrete realities. He discusses the UFO community's 'panic' around 1976-80 due to a perceived rarity of cases, leading to far-fetched explanations. Ferguson advocates for faithfully reporting testimonies without excessive interpretation, believing this approach will prove fruitful. He ponders the disappearance of UFOs from our skies, offering several humorous or speculative reasons, such as a lack of 'bacon' for exploration, completion of their mission, lack of resources, or disinterest in our solar system.

Ferguson asserts that UFOs are likely advanced, thinking beings, not necessarily more evolved than humans, but technologically superior. He notes that some UFO appearances might be returning to a pattern seen in 1947, characterized by lights with aberrant behaviors.

Informations Locales (Local Information)

Exposition: Madame Frances Henry invited ufological groups to an event at Place Bonaventure in June 1985. The CCOI, CRAS, and CCUQ delegated volunteers, including Michel Ménard, Yves Lalumière, and Claude Macduff, accompanied by Jean Vézina.

Detection d'OVNI (UFO Detection): Denis Cloutier of the CCUQ held a meeting in Drummondville in June 1985 to demonstrate detection instrumentation for a network. Michel Ménard also presented this at Place Bonaventure. François Bourbeau discussed the network on a radio show. The principles of detection remain similar to past methods, with a novelty being the potential integration of detectors with micro-computer software.

Des Traces Mysterieuses (Mysterious Traces)

By Marc Leduc

This article details photographs taken in September 1976 in Laval, Canada, of mysterious footprints observed for the first time. The witness, M. Lefrançois, was awakened by a violent noise and later discovered numerous dark footprints on the sidewalk and a wooden panel on the house's facade, extending about 200 meters along the street and crossing it perpendicularly. The pattern resembled an 'H'.

Lefrançois deduced the noise might have been related to the footprints. The traces, about 1m to 1.50m apart with a 15cm diameter, had a sabot-like shape. Some were round, others pointed. The author notes that the traces appeared to be burns, with some areas blackened and others slightly browned, suggesting high temperatures. However, chemical penetration or other factors could also explain the marks, especially since the wooden panel showed no burn marks when the author visited.

Ferguson discusses the possibility of these traces being made by a biped or quadruped, suggesting a large creature. He notes the abrupt stops of the tracks, questioning if the entity flew away. Lefrançois contacted various authorities, including the police and a TV animator, without success. The author considers the possibility of a hoax but also suggests more unusual explanations like an organism with sticky substances or even the devil. Notably, no UFO was sighted concurrently, though other UFO observations occurred around the same dates in nearby locations.

The article draws parallels to other cases, such as the Vilvorde humanoid (1973), footprints in Devon, England, and cases in France (1973) involving large footprints and potential high-temperature effects. References to literature are provided.

Courrier (Mail)

Letter from François Nicolas: Nicolas sends a document from the Canadian government concerning air safety, suggesting it indicates Mulroney's government is interested in UFOs, not just meteorites. The document is an official report form for air navigation hazards. The author notes that the BCSA's mandate covers all vehicle types and incidents, and while UFOs are not explicitly mentioned, the agency could potentially receive such reports.

Rapports Recents (Recent Reports)

This section details several recent UFO sightings:

• April 1985: A blue, turquoise, and pale fireball with a flame tail was observed on Route 131 Nord, Canada.
• June 1985: Five people saw a stationary, bright object depart rapidly from Mont St.-Hilaire.
• July 1985: Two sightings in Montréal involved three whitish balls in a triangular formation, followed by a similar event with eight elliptical luminous forms that bifurcated.
• July 1985: Four people observed three luminous balls at high altitude moving rapidly from west to east over Mont-Carmel.

Recherches de Lois Topographiques (Topographical Law Research)

By Jean Vézina

This article follows previous discussions on temporal series, focusing on the topography of UFO manifestations. It examines the theory of 'orthoteny,' proposed by Aimé Michel in 1957, which suggests UFO sightings align with terrestrial great circle arcs. Michel's initial study was based on 1954 observations in France.

Jacques Vallée's analysis suggested that many alignments could be explained by chance. However, Vézina's study, based on over 800 Quebec observations, found significant alignments that cannot be attributed to chance, demographics, or biased data collection. The study identified seven lines with intersection points, notably Beloeil (five alignments) and Saint-Jean-Baptiste (three alignments), where ufological activity appears to increase.

Subsequent analysis of 175 cases from 1978-1983 confirmed that 36.2% of observations were aligned, with Beloeil being a significant intersection point for UFO phenomena, possibly acting as a dispersion center. The study concludes that orthoteny remains a significant invariant in UFO topography, suggesting both fixed and transient alignment structures.

Informations Internationales (International Information)

UFO Aktuellt: This section introduces a Swedish UFO publication by the 'Centralgrupp,' providing their address in Sala, Sweden. Another address for UFO-Sverige-Aktuellt is also given. The review is described as having illustrated color covers, 48 pages of information, and covering UFOs as well as related topics like poltergeists and ancient astronauts. It includes international information translated into Swedish, referencing authors like Hynek and Keel. The language barrier is noted, but the content is deemed accessible to those familiar with the themes. The price is not mentioned, and readers are advised to write for subscription details. Addresses for other Swedish ufologists and groups, including Sven-Olof Fredrickson of GICOFF, are also provided.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the analysis of UFO sightings, the investigation of physical evidence like footprints, and the exploration of theoretical frameworks such as orthoteny. There's a focus on Canadian UFO activity, particularly in Quebec, alongside international reports and publications. The editorial stance appears to be one of continued, serious investigation into UFO phenomena, advocating for empirical reporting and analysis while acknowledging the challenges and debates within the ufological community. The publication aims to provide detailed information and research findings to its readers.

The Bulletin d'Information Ufologique, V.2, N.1, published by the CCOI (Corporation pour la Collection des Observations Inexpliquées) in September 1985, features an article by Marc Leduc titled "LA PUBLICATION DE LIVRES ET LES VAGUES D'OVNI" (The Publication of Books and UFO Waves). The magazine is published quarterly and is based in Canada.

The Publication of Books and UFO Waves by Marc Leduc

Marc Leduc, writing from the perspective of a bookseller, posits that UFOs are not real, suggesting that public interest and book publications create the myth. He argues that people see UFOs when public interest is high and stop seeing them when interest wanes. The article presents data from 345 books published on the subject of UFOs and 1,571 UFO reports collected over the years 1952 to 1984. These books, sourced from North America, South America, and Europe, include various types of publications such as those sold by groups, comic books for young people, and science fiction with UFO themes, but exclude magazines. The UFO reports are from the author's personal file of Quebecois observations.

Figure #1 illustrates the distribution of publication dates and the number of reports per year. A significant finding is the strong correlation of 0.81 (Pearson's R) between the number of book publications and the number of UFO reports across the 33-year period, which is statistically significant to the thousandth (Figure #2).

Leduc notes that fewer books on the subject are being published currently compared to the 1970s. He then explores the cause-and-effect relationship between book publications and UFO reports. He suggests that book publications likely increase public attention and contribute to a rise in reports, whether they are genuine or not. However, he questions whether book publications alone can cause UFOs to appear in the atmosphere, assuming that the UFO phenomenon cannot be reduced to mere illusions or misperceptions.

The article raises further questions about the validity of reports and the objectivity of observations, considering the potential weaknesses in human testimony and the poverty of available information.

Data Presentation

The article includes a table showing the distribution of publications (L) and reports (C) by year from 1952 to 1984. It also provides sample statistics: for 'L' (publications), the mean is 10.450 with a standard deviation of 12.410 over 33 samples; for 'C' (reports), the mean is 47.610 with a standard deviation of 53.430 over 33 samples. The correlation coefficient is explicitly stated as .810 with 31 degrees of freedom and a p-value of .000.

Editorial and Publication Information

The second page provides contact information for the CCOI, including an official address in Saint-Bruno de Montarville, Quebec, Canada. It details the publication schedule of BIUFO as quarterly and subscription rates: $12 for Canada and the United States, and $15 for other countries. The CCOI also publishes a newsletter called LIUFO, intended for collaborators and supporters.

The magazine is deposited at the Bibliothèque nationale du Canada and the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec, with an ISSN of 0828-4938.

Contributors are informed that their writings do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial staff or the CCOI. Reproduction of BIUFO texts is authorized upon request.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The primary theme of this issue is the statistical analysis of UFO phenomena, specifically the relationship between the publication of books and the occurrence of reported sightings. The editorial stance, as presented by Marc Leduc, is skeptical, suggesting that public interest, fueled by publications, may be the primary driver of reported UFO activity rather than the actual presence of extraterrestrial craft. The article encourages critical thinking about the validity of testimony and the nature of the information available on the subject.